ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- "Shell-shocked" was the word Matthew Slater used to describe how he felt following his team's regular-season finale loss to the Bills.
He's not used to the Patriots kicking game being the reason for a loss. For years they featured one of the best special-teams units in the NFL. He was a large part of that. But that's not what they were this year. And after allowing two kick-returns for touchdowns to Nyheim Hines, after losing 35-23 and missing out on the postseason, Slater described his unit's performance in stark terms.